CARE COMMUNITY CENTER
Completion: June, 2021
Site: Azraq, Jordan
Context: TU Delft, The Netherlands. Individual Academic Project, MSc2 Extreme design studio
Supervisors: E. Hehenkamp, J. Schroen, K. B. Mulder, T. Asselbergs
Tools: AutoCad, Rhino, Grasshopper, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
Distinction: This project classifies as one of the four most thorough projects across the sixty projects participating in the 2021 Extreme Studio. The four projects join debate with an external board comprising Andy Bow, senior partner at Foster + Partners, Martine van der Does, project manager at the Dutch Embassy in Amman, Hiba Sarhan, project manager at CARE in Jordan, and representatives of the UNHCR, Jordan department.
The brief poses the challenge of developing the design of a community space for the Syrian community in the climatically and socially extreme environment of East Jordan desertic grounds where the Azraq Refugee Camp is located, almost one hour away from the capital Amman. The quest is for a modular healthy coherent building in extreme arid, desertic conditions with an elaborated and innovative technical scheme.
An in-depth analysis of the assignment supported by informative sessions with professionals working on-site for Care International and for the Jordan Embassy led to the design of an integral design system that makes the most of the scarce local resources. Where integral indicates a coherent strategy for multiple challenges, from structure to site selection, floor plan configuration, spatial functionality, materialization, assembly, climate, daylight, transport, resources preservation, culture. Moreover, with the goal of making more intentional technical and architectural design choices, the brief proposes a design process that is inverse from the typical: from the small scale of the Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (I.C.E.B.), delineated from the beginning as the key ‘design tool’, to the large scale of the Community Centre and its positioning within the Azraq Camp.
The resulting strategy relies on the use of sand and earth excavated from the Azraq grounds to produce the key construction material that is the I.C.E.B., inspired by Syrian and Jordan vernacular tradition. Additionally, the strategy implements waste materials discarded from the standard T-shelters, which are currently provided by the UNHCR as fundamental living structures here. This means minimum dependence on the low and fluctuating flows of goods coming from the outside of the camp, and also lowered transport emissions. Besides, such approach is open to the involvement of local labour so to offer the community a sense of participation, economic revenue and transferable skills possibly valuable in their future outside of the camp. The project is also particularly attentive of a viable solution for a reliable provision of water and gas, particularly useful in the community kitchen and toilets. Accordingly, focal becomes the wastewater decentralised vertical flow system with annex biogas production. On a last technical note, small concrete pad foundations are reclaimed from the T-shelters and used for the buildings that constitute the community center, in concomitance with Jordian laws on the temporality of the structures built here. Finally, safe separate spaces for man and women, kids and adults are provided where necessary according to tradition.
Left: 1:20000 map of the Community Centre location, selected for its walkable distance from the camp entrance, the water storage tanks, the solar farm, the mosque, and the kids facilities. Right: render of the community center showing workshops, library and community garden.
(gif) Exploded axonometric of the Community Center in its full expansion.
Ground floor plan at 1:250 with spaces dedicated to adults (workshops) around the 'gardening court' and spaces dedicated to children (school) around the 'play court'.
Left: two courts, for gardening (top section) and for playing (bottom section), result from the ground excavation necessary to produce the I.C.E.B.s. Right: render of the 'play court' wih surrounding classrooms.
(gif) The massing of the Community Center results from the repetition of three basic modules, and duplication of the first enclosed court. Key for a viable use of the community spaces is the wastewater decentralised vertical flow system.
Sections and elevations at 1:250.
(gif) Production phases of the whole project, from I.C.E.B. to building module include: 1) consultation, 2) training, 3) production, 4) assembly.
3 modules function as the fundamental building forms of the project: 1 Basic Module, 1x2 Long Module, 1 x2 High Module.
Vertical section details at 1:10 showing a construction system detailed from the assembly of the I.C.E.B.s and waste materials available on-site.
the DEsign tool
Real-scale testing of the design tool (I.C.E.B.): 1) sampling different compositions of the earth mix; 2) design and construction of the I.C.E.B. moulds; 3) selected ICEB types.
The I.C.E.B. is inspired by vernacular Syrian tradition and is produced via locally sourced natural and discarded materials by the involvement of local workforce, providing revenue, engagement, value and skills.
Vernacular Syrian architecture and the adaptations made to the T-Shelters by the Syrian population reminisce of their traditions and inspire the massing of this project.